Preparation of water-free silica-based optical-fibre waveguide

A technique is described, whereby the hydroxyl absorption bands of the new phosphosilicate-core optical-fibre waveguide, which arise from impurities in the cladding, can be largely eliminated. The resulting fibre has ultralow loss over the entire wavelength range 0.4-1.1µm

New silica-based low-loss optical fibre

A new type of silica-based optical fibre has been made from relatively cheap and abundant materials. The attenuation is very low over the entire range from the near ultraviolet to the gallium-arsenide-laser wavelength. The minimum loss of 2.7 dB/km occurs at 0.83µm

Track A Basic Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138319/1/jia218438.pd

Canine tissue-specific expression of multiple small leucine rich proteoglycans

<p>Small leucine rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) are important constituents of extracellular matrix (ECM) and contribute to the production, organization and remodelling of collagen and elastin through complex biological systems. The relative expression and distribution of SLRPs in a variety of different mammalian tissues is poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to map the expression of seven SLRPs (biglycan, versican, prolargin, fibromodulin, osteoglycin, decorin and lumican) in seven tissues (bone, cartilage, cruciate ligament, skin, ventricular myocardium, mitral valve and cornea) in young adult dogs using a combination of quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and protein immunoblotting.</p> <p>Clear and consistent patterns of SLRP expression and distribution were identified for the seven tissues examined, with the greatest SLRP expression in cartilage, skin, cornea and mitral valve, and the least expression in myocardium. In general, lumican and prolargin had the greatest expression across the seven tissues whilst osteoglycin was the least abundantly expressed SLRP. These data provide a SLRP profile for different canine tissues which can inform future studies of SLRP expression in development and disease.</p&gt

Population structure and genetic heterogeneity in popular dog breeds in the UK

There is increasing concern that reproductive isolation related to breed specifications in dogs, while maintaining genetic differences among breeds, is likely to promote breed-specific genetic disorders. This study examined genetic diversity among 13 popular dog breed groups in the UK. Most breeds showed high levels of homozygosity when compared with crossbred animals. The Boxer and West Highland white terrier showed the lowest heterozygosity, while the Jack Russell terrier group (not a registered breed in the UK) had a level of heterozygosity comparable to crossbred dogs. Analysis of genetic distance between breeds showed significantly different inbreeding coefficients for pairwise comparisons among registered breeds, with the most divergent breeds being the Boxer and West Highland white terrier. The Rottweiler and Golden retriever showed the highest levels of inbreeding. The least distinct group contained crossbred dogs. The results show that the registered breeds are subject to a ‘breed barrier’ which promotes reduction in genetic diversity